The unveiling of Microsoft's new Surface Laptop also introduced the brand new operating system that comes with it - a lightweight OS called Windows 10 S, aimed specifically at students and the education sector.

Have you heard of Windows 10 S yet? Yes, you read that right, that's Windows 10 with an S.

It is a streamlined and locked-down version of Windows 10 Pro with a focus on consistent performance, reliability and security. Think of it as the Microsoft equivalent of Google's Chrome OS, an optimized lightweight OS that can run efficiently even on low-powered machines.

What is Windows 10 S?

Introduced during the unveiling of Microsoft's new Surface Laptop, Windows 10 S is aimed specifically at students and the education sector. It is touted as "the best Windows ever for schools."

With 10 S computers starting at just $189 and by offering it free for schools already running Windows 10 Pro computers, Microsoft clearly has its sights on cornering the education market.

If you're not sure if these changes are for you but you would still want to take Windows 10 S for a spin, then you're in luck.

Install it for free

Microsoft has just made the Windows 10 S installer available for free. Yep, for free!

Granted, you'll still need a copy of Windows 10 Pro or higher to install it, but if you do, you can add Windows 10 S without entering a product key.

Keep in mind that installing Windows 10 S over Windows 10 Pro will convert or delete some of your system files (your personal files will be preserved). If you're not happy with Windows 10 S, you can easily rollback to Windows 10 Pro within 10 days.

After this time period, you will have to reinstall Windows 10 Pro all over again.

This is why it's recommended that you don't use your main machine for any testing purposes. If you have a spare Windows 10 Pro computer lying around or better yet, a way to set up a virtual machine, then go ahead and have fun with Windows 10 S.